Primary school offers: Number of children in Lancs with first choice

In Blackburn with Darwen borough, the figure was 99.1 per cent - up from 98.3 per cent last year.

All 1,950 children who applied for a place have been promised a place for the next school year, with only 17 having not yet selected and agreed a school, after not receiving a place at any of their preferences.

A total of 91.1 per cent of children in the borough received their first choice school, while there were 55 fewer applications this year than in 2023.

For Lancashire County Council - which runs schools in 12 boroughs including Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale - the success rate was also above 99 per cent.

This was also a rise from last year's figure of just below 99 per cent.

Cllr Julie Gunn

Blackburn with Darwen Council's education boss Cllr Julie Gunn said: "This is really good news.

"We have got a lot of fantastic primary schools in the borough and it's great when parents get one of their first three choices.

"The fact that more parents have done so this year is really positive."

The Blackburn with Darwen primary school places statistics for 2024 are:

• 99.1 per cent of children resident in Blackburn with Darwen were offered one of their three preferred primary schools in September:
• the number of children who got their first choice: 1,776 – 91.1 per cent;
• the number of children who got their second preference: 139 – 7.1 per cent;
• the number of children who got their third choice: 18 – 0.9 per cent;
• the number of children not to have been allocated any place for this September; zero per cent;
• the total of applications for primary school places this year was 1,950.

All Blackburn with Darwen children for whom an application was received have been allocated a school place for September 2024, with just 17 (0.9 per cent) allocated a ‘no preference school’ as they could not be offered either of their first, second or third preferences.

This is a drop of almost half from 2023, when 1.7 per cent of children were allocated a no preference school.

The number getting their first or second choice in 2024 is up from 2023, while third choice allocations halved.

Just 35 (1.7 per cent) were allocated a ‘no preference school’.

Lancashire County Council said more than 99 per cent of 12,159 children have been offered a place at one of their three preferred schools.

It is anticipated the final number receiving a preferred place will increase further as waiting lists are applied.

As in Blackburn with Darwen, the number of applications also fell across Lancashire. In 2023, 12,734 children were granted primary places in the county, a change of almost 600.

Jacqui Old, LCC's education director, said: "We are absolutely delighted to confirm that thousands of youngsters will be attending the school that is their parents' first preference.

"A young child starting school is such an important life event, so many families will be delighted that their child is going to the school of their choice.

"Our team has worked very hard to process more than 12,000 applications and know that the overwhelming majority of parents will be happy with their school offer.

"We also acknowledge that a very small number of pupils have not been allocated one of their preferred schools.

"Where this is the case, we would encourage parents to talk to their local School Admissions Team about the options open to them."